The Queens of the Suits
by SakuraMoriChan
Summary: England didn't expect much from the world meeting. Especially not for someone who looked exactly like China to kidnap him to an alternative universe. Almost everyone there is convinced that he is the lost Queen of Spades, Arthur. When not everything is as it seems, will England ever be able to get back to his world? Cardverse, USUK
1. Chapter 1

_Damn plot bunnies...It kept bugging me to write this, but I kept on having to re write it because I didn't like it..._

* * *

"...Why?"

Two men faced each other, both dressed in blue. The one who had just spoken was staring at the man in front of him, with a mix of shock and horror.

"It's their decision. Neither of us can argue with them" The shorter one said this firmly, but refused to look the other in the eye.

"But why?" The man's blue eyes hardened. "Why does it have to be you? It was my fault! It should be me! I-"

"Please" the other one's voice was shaking now. "You know it's not just me that has to do this. I want to stay strong until the end, rather then leaving crying and screaming"

The other man balled his hands into fists, trembling slightly. "...How can you stay so calm?" He said this quietly, but raised his voice as he continued. "How can you give up so easily? Don't you care about me at all?" His eyes shined angrily from unshed tears. "You can run away! I'll help you! I...I...-!"

"Alfred" the older man said, almost sadly. "You know that wouldn't work."

"...But-!" The one called Alfred sobbed before rushing past the other, not looking back as he ran down the hall.

The blonde one stared after him, making no attempt at following.

_I'm sorry, Alfred. I'm sorry. _And then, the strong, noble Queen of Spades fell to his knees, crying silently.

* * *

"Everyone, calm down! Especially you, Switzerland!" England was jerked awake by the sound of a familiar German yelling.

"Calm down? She's gone, Germany!" Switzerland shouted back. The British nation briefly wondered how long he had been sleeping. Everyone had been calm when he had first started to drift off, but now the room was in chaos.

"This happens, Swisse" France said calmly. "When girls reach a certain age, they start to rebel. I'm sure she'll come back soon"

"I don't know what you think of Liechtenstein" Switzerland said coldly. "But she would never run away. She must of been kidnapped!"

"I didn't realise you were such a drama queen..."

England sighed, trying but failing to remember the dream he'd just had. It was always like that. He'd have some strange dream, but could only remember small details. But...the people always looked familiar...

The doors swung open suddenly, nearly breaking of their hinges, causing the other nations to turn around in surprise.

"America" Germany said sternly "You're late"

"F-Forget about that!" America panted. "Japan's missing!"

The other countries began whispering to each other nervously.

Germany frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I was sleeping at his house last night so that he'd wake me up early, but he didn't so I slept in, and when I woke up I couldn't find him anywhere!" America said panickedly.

_He's over reacting..._England thought to himself. _He's always so paranoid...and annoying. He's also conceited, fast-food obsessed, has amazing blue eyes-_

The British nation nearly smacked himself. He was _not _thinking that. And he did not have a _crush_ on that...that...that _idiot_. The day he admitted he liked America was the day someone told England that his food tasted delicious. Even though it obviously did.

_"Underminding your emotions will not make them go away..."_

England nearly shrieked, but somehow managed to compose himself. Everyone was panicking too much about what Switzerland and America had told them to of noticed anyway. Where the _hell _had that voice come from?

He sighed again. Ever since he had started getting those dreams, he had felt...different. He didn't know how exactly. It must have something to do with that Alfred guy...

He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to force himself to remember.

"...nd!"

In his dreams, Alfred...

"...land!"

...Had looked a lot like America...

_"England!" _America yelled as loud as he could. The British nation looked up at him blankly, losing his train of thought.

"W...What do you want?" England asked embarassedly, realising that everyone was staring at them.

"So you really weren't listening?" America huffed but continued anyway. "Whatever. Like I've already asked you about five times, don't you think it's strange that both Japan and Switzerland's little sister with that weird name both disapeared at the same time?"

England exhaled, not trying to hide the fact that he was annoyed. "Look, America, I'm sure they're both fine. It's not like they're being kidnapped, or-"

America's eyes widened. "Kidnapped? That's it!" he yelled excitedly. He ran to the front of the room, pushing past Germany easily. "The countries are getting kidnapped!"

This caused the other nations to start crying out in panic.

"Verdammt, America!" Germany glared at the American coldly. "Scaring everyone is going to solve nothing! And you don't even know if they've really been kidnapped or not!"

"Where else would they of gone?" America argued. "And they have a right to be scared! Who know who else could be taken? It could be me, or you, or...or...or even England!" he pointed to the Brit for a dramatic effect.

England just shook his head sadly. _I knew it I shouldn't of let him watch those detective films..._

"But don't worry everyone" America grinned brightly. "As the hero, I'll catch this kidnapper and find everyone who was taken!"

_He's such an idiot..._

"You too, England" while he wasn't looking, America had somehow crossed the room and was now standing in front of the Brit. He sounded more quiet then before. "If you get kidnapped too, then I'll go and find you"

England blinked in surprise, quickly looking away. "W-what are you talking about?" Hell. He was blushing. "I'm not going to get kidnapped, because there is no kidnapper in the first place!" He shouted, but didn't meet the American's gaze. They would never let him live it down if they saw his red face. "J-Just sit down already"

If the Brit had been watching, he would of seen America deflate slightly as he took in his words.

"Oh...um...okay..." he said, a little awkwardly.

England mentally sighed. He really needed to stop yelling at America like that. No matter how much of an idiot he was.

He stood up suddenly. "Look, America" he seemed really interested in his feet all of a sudden. "I'm sor..." he trailed off as he caught something out of the corner of his eye.

A small blue ball of light was floating above the table, flickering slightly.

A few of the other nations had noticed this, and were pointing it out to the ones next to them.

"What...?" America was the first one to speak.

The light expanded, filling the room completely.

"Everyone! Stay calm!" Germany yelled at the sound of frantic cries.

England stumbled around blindly. _What the hell is happening? _

Someone grabbed his arm. "Your Majesty, it's alright, aru"

Even though the light was now fading, England was still having trouble seeing. "Ch...China?" he asked as his vision slowly returned.

He looked across the room blearily. There was definitely a China like person at the other end of the room. So who...?

"Your Majesty, we don't have that much time, aru" the other China said urgently. "We need to leave now, while they're all distracted, aru"

England could now see that this China was standing on the table in front of him. He was dressed mostly in blue, except for the grey spades that were on his coat. There was a sword strapped to his side.

"Why..." England asked as he stared at this man who only seemed to look like China "Why are you calling me 'Your Majesty'?" China was one of the last countries he ever expected to call him that. Not that he ever expected a country to call him that at all.

The other China looked at him, almost sadly "So you don't remember..." He tightened his grip on England's arm, pulling the Brit up onto the table with him while he was still disorientated. "Nevermind. I'll explain everything when we get back home"

"England? And..._China? _What are you guys doing?" America seemed to of already gotten over the flash of light, and was now running towards the two nations on the table.

"America-" England stopped in surprise as he heard the other China start to chant under his breath. And...were they glowing?

America shouted something else, but it was lost as there was another flash of light. The floor seemed to vanish, and England felt himself start to fall...

* * *

_Yeah...Even though I re wrote this a lot, I'm still not that happy with it...It's so annoying, I know when my stories need improvment, but no matter what I do, it doesn't get any better...Oh, and I'm sorry I've not been updating my stories much, but I've been at work experience this week, so I've not really been that motivated...I'll try to update more over the weekend XD Please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	2. Chapter 2

_Let's continue with the story XD_

* * *

England gasped as he hit the ground, still partically blinded by the light.

"Your Majesty!" an urgent voice immediately called him, hands shaking him gently. "Are you alright, aru? I'm sorry we had to leave so suddenly, but it was important that we left as soon as possible, aru..."

The British nation's vision cleared, allowing him to see China looking down at him worriedly. Someone who _looked _like China, at least.

"Y-you" England sat up, glaring at the China look alike. "What the _hell _was that? You...You kidnapped me!"

The Chinese man jumped back at the sudden outburst. "No, Your Majesty...It wasn't a kidnapping, aru. You have to understand that-"

"Oh, really?" England cut in sarcastically. "Where I come from, kidnapping is usually when someone is taken against their will. And I'm pretty sure I never said once that you could take me to...to..." he looked around, a puzzled look growing on his face "...Where the hell are we, anyway?"

The other China stood up, extending his hand down to the Brit. He smiled, a little sadly. "This is your and King Alfred's castle, aru. We are in the Kingdom of Spades, aru"

England let the hand help him up, a little hesitantly. _The Kingdom of Spades? _He asked himself silently, looking around the area for a second time.

He seemed to be in a giant hallway, the floor and ceiling made of marble. Out of the giant window, England could see the sun setting over what looked like a large garden.

_The sun's setting already? I didn't realise it was that late...Wait, that's not that main problem right now! _"I've never heard of the Kingdom of Spades before" England said suspiciously. "And...why do you keep calling me 'Your Majesty'? You're one of the last nations I'd ever expect to call me that...And I don't want to be called that in the first place!"

"So you really can't remember, aru..." the Chinese man sighed. "We suspected as much, but we still hoped that you'd at least remember a little, aru..." he tried to smiled again, placing a hand on his chest in a sort of introduction. "But, I suppose that doesn't matter, aru. I am the Jack of Spades, aru"

England only blinked. "So...Your name's Jack?" he eventually asked.

"No, no" 'Jack' shook his head. "It's just a title, aru. I suppose I'm so used to introducing myself as that, that I...Anyway, my name is Yao, aru"

"Right..." England started thoughtfully. "So, 'Yao', do you mind telling me what the_ hell _is going on?" he said the last part more forcefully.

Yao flinced. "Aiyaa...I guess it's better to start from the basics, aru..." he breathed in deeply before continuing "The world we were in moments ago is not the same world we are in now, aru. To retrieve you, I had to travel to the world you were staying in, aru"

England stared at him for a few seconds, trying to understand what he had just been told. "You mean...this is like an alternative universe?"

"I suppose if you want to call it that...aru..."

_That definitely explains the extra China..._"But...how can you do that? Travel between two universes I mean. Hell, I can do magic, and even I wouldn't be able to do that without the right objects or ritual or I'd probably pass out..." he shook his head suddenly "Ugh...I'm going off the point again...Why did you kidnap _me?"_

"I told you, it wasn't a kidnapping, aru!" Yao snapped, but then stepped back in a gasp "I mean...Your Majesty...I..." he sighed again. "Why is this so hard, aru?...I call you 'Your Majesty' because that is your title. Even though a Jack is one of the highest ranks below yours, we still need to respect our King and Queen and refer to them as their proper title, aru..."

"King and Queen?" the Chinese man's answers were just making England more confused. "Were they the ones who told you to 'retrieve' me?"

"No, The Council were the ones who told us to bring you back, aru" Yao explained. "Although, His Majesty was informed too...I wonder if he'll start acting like his old self now that you're back, aru..." he smiled faintly.

"...I still have don't know what you're talking about"

Yao sighed again, but in a more irritated way. "There are four kingdoms, the Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and the Clubs. Each kingdom has a King, Queen and Jack. I am the Jack of the Kingdom of Spades, aru"

"Okay..." England said slowly. "So who is your King and Queen?"

"The King of Spades is named Alfred, aru. He's younger then both of us, and generally, loud, reckless and sometimes considered annoying..."

_Sounds a lot like someone I know..._England rolled his eyes. Of course that guy wouldn't be the king. That was just silly.

"...But he has a good heart, aru" Yao finished. "Although, over the past year, he's been a little different...More serious...Some people think that this is a good thing, although honestly I find it a little unnerving, aru..." the Chinese man looked behind him nervously, as if he was worried someone was watching. "And...there's our Queen, aru. None of the Queens have been home since...last year..."

"Get to the point" England scowled at Yao.

"I am, I am, aru! Anyway...Now that you and the others are back, His Majesty might start acting like his old self again, aru. And-!"

England's frown turned to a full on glare. "What do _I _have to do with anything? I want to go back to my world. Take me back there right now, or I'll..." he trailed off, hoping that it wasn't obvious he had no idea what he'd do.

"But this is your world, aru! It's true that you were in that world, but you are also from our world!" China raised his voice slightly.

The Brit's eyes widened for a second, before narrowing again. "That's not possible. I was born and grew up in that world! I'm a country, my name's England, and I represent the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"

China shook his head again, sadly. "No...In that world, maybe, but in truth you are from this world, aru. Your name is Arthur. You are the Queen of Spades"

England slowly let this new information sink in. It took him a few minutes before he could think of an answer. "...But I'm a man..."

* * *

_I don't know why I'm leaving it there, but I am XD There's actually a story that's kind of similar in storyline, it's called Dealing With a Full Deck. That story was made before this one, so I really hope it doesn't look like I'm stealing it...But the story should change later, so...Anyway, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	3. Chapter 3

_Yaaaay~ Update~ :3 I love those little wavy line things XD Anyway, onto the chapter! XD_

* * *

"You'll need to wear this, aru" Yao handed England a set of clothes, pushing into another room.

England looked down at them skeptically. "Why do I-?"

"You're our Queen. You can't go round wearing something like that, aru. " he gestured to the brown suit and red tie that England had been wearing for the meeting earlier.

"There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing" England held onto the colar of his shirt defensively. It was silly, but England didn't want to lose his clothes. They were the only thing he had from the universe he actually came from, besides himself. "And for the last time, I'm not your bloody Queen!"

"Your Majesty, I've already explained-"

"No you haven't!" England yelled. "All you said was that I'm from this world, but that's not possible. I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I was your so called 'Queen'. Also, my name's England, not Arthur!"

"Please, Your Majesty..." Yao sighed. "Please just get changed, aru. I...I'll do my best to explain after...We still need to show His Majesty that you're back here, aru..."

"No I won't! And I don't care about this damn King of yours!" England shouted, fighting back against a feeling of...sadness? "I want to go back to my world, you little-!"

Yao started to almost push England into the room. "Now, now, Your Majesty. Would you like to get changed yourself, or would you rather I called someone to change your clothes for you, aru?"

England thought about this for a second. Either get changed by his self and hold onto his pride, or have some stranger strip him down while he kicked and screamed. He sighed irritably, obviously defeated.

"I thought so, aru" Yao almost seemed to smirk, shutting the door. The clicking noise that England heard told him the the Chinese man had locked it. "I'll be back in a few minutes, aru!" Yao called.

The Brit groaned as he heard the Jack's light footsteps turn fainter as he walked away. _What the hell am I going to do...? _He tried the door halfheartedly. _It's definitely locked...Ugh...What the hell...What the bloody hell am I going to do?_

After Yao had declared that England was some guy called Arthur, who was also supposed to be the 'Queen' of Spades, England then decided that it'd be a good time to run away from the Chinese man, and hope that someone more sane could help him get back to his world.

But Yao had turned out to be a lot faster then he looked. After yelling questions and (in England's opinion) not very detailed answers at each other, Yao had somehow managed to usher England into the area he was in now.

England looked around the room where he had been placed under house arrest. It was pretty plain, really, even if it was rather large. There was a wardrobe and a book case in the corner, filled with book titles that England had honestly never heard of. The bed was rather large, and had one of those pointless canopy things that England never really understood. The bed sheet was blue with silver spades sewn on.

_They really like the colour blue here..._England realised that the clothes he was holding were blue too, except for a brownish gold coloured pair of trousers and shoes. There were even blue roses, which were in a glass vase, sitting on a small wooden table that was on the balcony outside his window. Which was also locked.

He groaned again, deciding that he should probably just get it over with and change his clothes. He could just hide his actual clothes away in the wardrobe, or maybe even under the bed if that was too obvious. Something told him that Yao would just throw them away otherwise.

He couldn't help but find it odd how they almost fitted him perfectly. Looking at himself suspiciously in the mirror he had found in the wardrobe, he noted that they also seemed to suit him. Although, were the cape and top hat _really _necessary...?

"Ah, good your done, aru" England turned around, closing the wardrobe quickly. Yao was looking at him expectantly. "...I did knock, aru" he said after a small silence.

"Right..." England didn't know what to say. "You...you said you'd answer my questions after I got changed" he gestured to himself. "Well?"

Yao sighed. "We really need to hurry, aru. His Majesty has turned really impatient recently..." England glared at him determinedly. "...One question, aru" Yao said, obviously tired.

England blinked. He hadn't been expecting Yao to actually give in. China had been extremely stubborn in his world...And what should he ask? Damn, he should of thought this through..."Okay, I..." he started thoughtfully. "...You, do know I'm a man...right?"

That clearly hadn't been a question Yao would of expected. "...What kind of...? Or course I know you're a man, aru!"

"Then why do you keep saying I'm your 'Queen'? Last time I checked, that was the name of the _female _ruler of a land. The _wife _of a King" England pointed out.

"Queen is just a title, aru!" Yao said defensively. "The King, Queens, Jacks and Aces can be any gender, aru. Although, it's true that Kings are usually male, and Queens are usually female, but they can really be either, aru!"

"Oh..." England felt himself blushing slightly, but looked away in an attemot to hide it. "...Then what do the Kings, Queens and Jacks actually do? I can probably guess with the King and Queens, but..."

"The King is in charge of the Kingdom and the military" Yao was starting to sound annoyed. "Queens are in charge of the navy, and check the Kings decisions to make sure they don't do anything stupid, aru. The Jacks are in charge of finances and policies for the kingdom and also make sure the King doesn't do anything stupid, aru" Yao looked up at England, almost challengingly. "Anything else, aru?"

"...No, not right now"

"Good, aru" Yao said, a little relieved. "We _really _need to go and see His Majesty, King Alfred, now. Please come with me, aru"

_Alfred...? That sounds...familiar..._England shook his head, and followed the Chinese man wordlessly.

_Okay...If I find a way to escape from this castle, I might be able to use my magic to get back to my world...Maybe if I just make a break for it while he's not looking...But I don't know the exact spell...I can figure it out once I get out...Or maybe I can somehow force Yao to send me back himself..._These thoughts, and other similar were all passing through England's head, and also giving him a slight headache. But would any of those ideas actually work?

"...ur?"

How could he get away from this place? They had passed quite a few guards, so just running wouldn't be easy...

"...thur!"

He could pretend to have a heartattack...They'd have to take him out to a hospital, or...-_Wait, do they even have hospitals in this world? _England thought suddenly. _They should have some kind of doctor, or else what happened when people were ill? Or is this some strange world where no one got sick...? No, that's impossible...Maybe I can just pretend to faint, that's less dramatic...And then when they let their guard down, I can just-_

England was knocked out of his thoughts, as something, or someone, tackled him. Arms wrapped around him, squeezing the air out of him.

He tried to protest, but the only sound he could make was a strangled squeak, mainly because of shock and lack of oxygen.

"Arthur! Arthur, I, I'm really- No...I mean...I'm...I'm sorry about what happened. I'm _really _sorry, and, I know that, I...It's been so, no, _too _long since I last saw you, and, and I..." The man hugging him to death pulled away, still holding on to the Brit's shoulders.

Said Brit tried to yell at his captor, but only managed another choked noise when he saw the man's face.

America stared back at him, a smiling at him sadly. There was something...different about his eyes. They were staring at his with a look of hope and some kind of affection, but there was an almost colder undertone to them, that seemed out of place in those sky blue eyes.

England frowned. He was in a different world, which meant that this man wasn't _his _America, it was the one from the universe he was in now. Hell, his name probably wasn't even America!

Yao pulled the America look alike off of England, whispering something in his ear. The American's eyes seemed to harden before his face fell.

"Hey...um...Arthur...Do you know who I am?" The American was smiling again, but it seemed kind of strained.

England shook his head gently. He didn't really know what else to say.

"I'm Alfred" he stepped closer to the British nation. "Remember?"

"So..." England started, wide eyed. "You're...The King of Spades" It wasn't really a question. He sighed when he saw Alfred nod. He honestly didn't know whether to feel shocked that _America_, or Alfred as he was called in that world, was a _King, _or just plain annoyed that he had taken the name of one of his earliest Kings in the process.

"Arthur, I-"

"Look" England cut in. "I know that you think that I'm your..._Queen" _he seemed to have trouble saying the word. "But I'm not! I'm not the 'Arthur' from this world. I'm not even called Arthur! I guess you could say that I'm an alternative version of him, or that he's an alternative version of me, but we're not the same person, and..."

He stopped when he realised Alfred was chuckling. "You never change, Artie" Alfred smiled, pulling the struggling Brit into another hug. "I can understand that you don't remember anything, that's probably some kind of side effect from being in that other world. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll remember everything soon"

England managed to push himself away slightly, not enough so that he was fully out of the American's arms, but just enough so that he could breath again. "For God's sake, how many times do I have to tell you people that I'm not your bloody Queen! I was born and grew up in the universe that Yao kidnapped me from, _my _universe. I've been alive for hundreds of years. You can't just take me and think that I'm suddenly going to accept all of this!"

"Arthur" Their eyes met again, causing England to shiver faintly. Even though the King's eyes were looking at him affectionately, the hint of coldness made him feel uneasy. "You must be tired. I'm sure that you'll listen to reason after some rest, right?"

"Your Majesty, isn't it a little early for him to retire, aru?" Yao spoke up suddenly. He was looking out the window, at the sun which still hadn't fully set.

"True, but Artie's had a busy day. Since he can't remember much, he can sleep in his old room. He'd probably find it a little awkward for us to share one"

His own room. England smirked, making sure the other two couldn't see it. He'd be able to plan his escape without anyone finding out, and no one would bother him if they thought he was just resting. "I-I am pretty tired..." he decided to add hopefully.

Alfred smiled again. "See?" he said to Yao. "Do you think you could show Arthur to his room?"

"I...Of course, aru. But shouldn't we discuss-"

"We can discuss our plans in the morning" Alfred said firmly. "That should be fine, right?"

"...Yes, aru..."

"Good" Alfred replied cheerfully. To England's utter surprise, he kissed the smaller blonde on the head lightly "I'll see you in the morning, Artie" he jumped away from the other two, giving them a quick wave as he went down the hall.

"Aiyaa...I swear, he's been treating me like just a normal advisor lately, aru" Yao muttured under his breath. "I'm the Jack of Spades. I have nearly as much authority as him, aru! Well, the Queen still has more then me, but-" He stopped as he suddenly remembered England. "We should go, aru" he said, a little sheepishly.

England just smiled politely, allowing the Chinese man to lead him away. He didn't mind, as the more cooperative he acted, the less likely it would be for someone to have to keep an eye on him.

_I don't care what those two idiots say. _England told himself. _I'm going home. I'm going to escape this damn place and go back to my world._

* * *

_I'll end the chapter there XD Good luck, England! XD I hope it seems like this story is getting more interesting, I am trying :) Anyway, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	4. Chapter 4

_^_^...I don't know what to write here XD But I'm on holiday right now, so I can't update as often...Let's just see how England's doing XD _

* * *

England scowled, sitting in the room he had gotten changed in the day before. The door was locked- he had already tried opening it enough times. It was obvious that they didn't trust him to not run away. All he had been able to do was go to sleep in the bed that he had to grudgingly admit was rather comfortable.

He didn't know what the time was at that moment, all he knew was that it was morning.

After quickly deciding that there was truly no way out of his so called 'room' (he wasn't desperate enough to try and break the window...yet) he thought it'd be a good idea to try and search through the bookcase and wardrobe.

All of the clothes in the wardrobe seemed unnaturally...flashy, in England's opinion. They were all blue with occasional parts of silver or gold. The pajamas that Yao had given him (or _nightwear, _as the Chinese man had insisted...) were also a shade of blue.

To his surprise, he found a deck of playing cards at the bottom of the wardrobe. He smiled at the slight irony, shuffling through the cards.

He paused when he reached the Queen of Spades. The whole reason he had been brought and imprisoned in that world was because everyone thought he was their Queen. He had no idea how to get back- no matter what he did, his magic wouldn't work. He should be home, not trapped in some weird, alternative universe.

Without thinking, he ripped the card in two. He stared at the two pieces for a few seconds before throwing them onto the floor. There were fifty one more cards where that came from.

England soon found himself grinning like a mad man as he started to tear more and more cards. He especially had fun destroying the Jack of Spades, since he still had a grudge from being kidnapped, and, for some reason, the King of Diamonds.

He stopped suddenly when he reached the King of Spades. _Come on. _He told himself. _That guy's had something to do with bringing you to this world too. Just rip it already. _He watched the card for a a little while longer, before screwing it up into a ball instead and throwing it across the room. He sighed, realising that if anyone had walked in on him on his card massacre, they would of definitely thought he was insane.

He searched the bookcase, looking for anything else to do. Unfortunately for him, all of the books on the shelfs were for children.

_I know that the me from this universe is probably the Queen here, and that's why everyone keeps calling me that... _He thought slowly. _...But why would he have so many books like this? Don't tell me he actually reads these..._He found himself automatically reaching for a small, dark blue book on the top shelf.

He opened it curiously, and was surprised to find a silver key drop to the floor. England picked it up carefully, reading the page it had fallen out of.

_I stole a key to my room from one of the guards the other day. _It read, in a somehow scruffier version of England's own handwriting. _I only took it because I was sick of them locking me in every night. Surely there'd be a bigger chance of me getting kidnapped or something if they had to waste time unlocking the door...But I knew that they'd take it from me eventually, so I snuck into the nearest town and had them make an exact duplicate of it. Of course, Auntie, Uncle and Yao were all angry with me when they finally found me, and scolded me about how we were in the middle of a war, and that I'm not allowed to go anywhere without an Ace escorting me...Honestly, I'm not a baby! They also took the key I stole from me, but they don't know about the copy. I'm hiding it in this book, in case I ever need it._

_Arthur, _Prince _of Spades. (I don't care what Francis says, I refuse to be called a princess)_

England closed the book, staring at the key in amazment. Could it really be the same key that Arthur had been writing about in the book?

He sent out a silent prayer as he fitted it into the keyhole, fighting the urge to cheer as the door unlocked.

_Everyone's probably still asleep. _He thought, looking out of the window at the sun which had only risen a little while ago. _I'll need to be quiet. There'll most likely still be some guards around, but i should be able to avoid the..._

He stepped out into the hall, beginning to smirk proudly. Nobody could keep the United Kingdom trapped for long, nobody.

Soon after, however, he found himself completely lost.

"Okay...The entrance should be just around this next corner...! ...Or not..." England groaned quietly as he found another dead end. He had to of been walking around for at least ten minutes. The only thing he was sure about at that moment was that he was now sick of the colour blue.

"...Your Majesty? Is something wrong?" England spun around in shock at the sound of another voice. The Netherlands, or at least the one from that universe, was looking at him worriedly.

"N-no...I'm fine" England said firmly.

"But...isn't it a little early for you to be up, You Majesty? You should really be in your room..."

"I-I know...But..." Damn. He couldn't just get dragged back now! "I...was looking for the library" he said finally.

The Netherlands frowned. "The Library? Well, if you really need to go their, I can escourt you their" he bowed slightly.

"Okay..." England sighed quietly, following the Dutch man. He couldn't exactly ask where the exit was without causing suspicion. "So...um...What's your name?" he asked awkwardly.

"My name? It's Lars, Your Majesty"

"I see..." England didn't really know what else he could say.

"We're here, Your Majesty" Lars stopped in front of a large set of double doors, pushing them open.

"Thanks..." the British nation made his way to walk inside, but stopped when he realised Lars was following him. "Um...Is it alright if I go in alone?"

Lars blinked. "But, Your Majesty, it's important for you to be guarded at all times"

"Then is it okay if you wait out here? I'll call you if I need anything" England reasurred.

"I-I suppose-"

England slammed the door shut before the Dutch man could finish. He leaned against it, sliding down onto his knees. Being treated like royalty felt..._weird. _He was used to being able to argue with everyone openly, but that was pretty hard when they treated him so differently.

He stood up slowly, deciding that he might as well look around the ridiculously large library. Non-fiction was on the bottom floor, and fiction was on the second, which could be reached by a set of stairs that, suspiciously, looked like it was made of a gold painted wood.

The Brit wandered past the different sections, reading the different titles. He had passed geography, history, magic...

He stopped. Magic? They had books on magic? England stared at that particular section curiously. Curses, healing, love spells...His eyes drifted over the leather bound books, searching for anything that he could use to help him.

England smiled suddenly as he noticed a book conveniently titled 'How to Travel To and From Alternative Universes.' He picked up the unusually light book, opening it hopefully.

He groaned loudly, not able to look away from what remained of the book. It looked like half the pages had been viciously torn out. The rest had been scribbled on and, somehow, burnt.

_Who the hell did this? _England put it back weakly. _Of course it'd be the one book I needed that was vandalised..._

He scowled, grabbing a book from the history section. He might as well read _something. _

The British nation skimmed through the book boredly, only picking up a few details. Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs are the four main kingdoms, the Kingdom of Spades has a good realtionship with both the Kingdom of Diamonds and Kingdom of Hearts, but is enemies with the Kingdom of Clubs, the Kingdom of Spades is considered one of the smartest kingdoms (_And...They put _America _in charge? _England thought bewilderedly) as it has one of the highest number of schools, etc...

England stopped at the end, noticing a few hurried sentences. Notes?

_**So I'm supposed to be the King of Spades now. **_It said, in a very familiar handwriting. _**But I'm not sure what to do...The Jack, or 'Yao' as I'm supposed to call him now, said that I should read up on history of the kingdom...But it's so boring...I'm really not going to be good at this whole 'king' thing...It's okay for Arthur, he was trained to be the Queen ever since he was born! I've also got to remember to stop accidentely calling him 'Your Majesty', that really seems to piss him off...**_

Underneath that note, in a more neat handwriting was; _Alfred, don't vandalise books. Also, how exactly can you consider the history of our kingdom boring? Well, I suppose it's _your _kingdom now...And anyway, I was chosen as the heir to the Queen of Spades when I was four, thank you very much. And it wasn't 'okay' for me. I've had to read this damn book about five times, so don't you dare complain!_

_**You write that I shouldn't vandalise books, but you write in the book to tell me that? Hypocrite. If you're such an expert on this book then, why can't you just tell me about it yourself? **_

_Shut up. And that'd just be cheating. You need to learn these things yourself._

_**Geez, you're starting to sound like Yao...Wait, wasn't he the Jack when you were little?**_

_That's right. What about it?_

_**But...he looks so young! How the hell does he do that?**_

_I...I don't know...I suppose it is kind of strange..._

_**Maybe he's some kind of alien! Or...You don't think he's a ghost...do you?**_

_I don't know..._

_**Well maybe-**_

**So this is what you've been doing while you were supposed to be studying! **The writing style changed from the other two suddenly. **I am disapointed in you both. How can you ruin a book like this? Well I'm putting a stop to it, right now! And I'm not an alien, or a ghost!**

_Hypocrite. _

_**You're such a kill joy, Yao.**_

England couldn't help but snicker as the notes finished. He smiled wistfully. Those were exactly the kinds of things America would write.

"There he is..."

He blinked. Who was that just now?

"So...we just need to make him read this part of the book, right? Then he might figure out what's wrong on his own. But how do we..."

"Kesesese~ Leave it to me, Pete! I know exactly how to get his attention with this!"

"Huh? Wait, what are you-!"

England gasped as something crashed into his head, knocking him to the ground. Something heavy landed next to him, most likely the thing that had been thrown at him.

"G-Gilbert!"

"What? Sure, that might knock him out, but it's not gonna kill him"

"I...I guess but...I know he's kind of a jerk, but do we really have to leave him there? He's kind of my older brother, even if he's not exactly the same one..."

"Hey, you should be grateful that the awesome me is helping you! I should be trying to fix things on my side, but I figured that since you're young you wouldn't know what to do. And it looks like I was right"

"I know...Are we gonna have to do this to the other Queens?"

"Nah, King Alfred was planning to meet with the Kingdom of Diamonds and Hearts, so this guy should be able to meet them. You never know, if they all get together, they might figure this out by themselves" the voice paused, as if listening. "Come on, we should go. It probably wouldn't end well if someone caught us here with an unconsious Queen"

_"_A Queen that _you _knocked out"

"...Shut up"

The Brit groaned as the voices left. They had been talking about...him? Ugh...No good...He was starting to black out...

* * *

_Where am I? _England was through some kind of garden maze. The hedges that made up the walls were all neatly trimmed- no leaf was out of place.

His feet were moving him down the path on their own. _This place...looks kind of familiar...But I'm sure I've never actually been here before..._

Soon he reached a somewhat small clearing. A tea table and chair sat in the middle, with neat bushes decorated with blue roses framing the hedge that surrounded the space.

England stared at the roses skeptically. _You can't grow blue roses naturally. You'd have to get a white rose and dye it. _He told himself. _But...they don't look fake..._

"I didn't understand how it was possible either" England turned around, realising that there was now someone sitting at the table. How long had he been there? And...why did seeing him there feel so odd? "But all of the Kingdoms have the rose in their national colour. Hearts have red roses, Diamonds have yellow roses, Clubs have green roses...Well, they also like to use the clover to represent themselves, but for very important things they use the rose" the other man explained, taking occasional sips from a cup of tea.

The British nation realised what unnerved him about the stranger. The man was wearing what looked like the same clothes England had been wearing the day before. His hair was blonde and messy, even though it looked like it had been brushed furiously. England probably could of looked past these things, if it hadn't been for the man's emerald eyes,which were crowned by a set of rather large eyebrows.

"You're..." England shook his head. "Who are you, exactly?"

The man who looked exactly like England smiled before setting his tea down. "I'd say I was you" he said calmly. "But then you are also you, and we can't both be you"

"...What?" England briefly wondered if someone had spiked the man's tea.

"I don't really understand it either. The only think I can think of would be that I'm a part of you that you rejected, which caused me to create a smaller conscience in your head, which is also why I'm here now" the England look alike sighed, taking a fairy cake from a silver stand that England was pretty sure hadn't been there a second ago. "Although, honestly, I can't remember"

"You...You can't remember what you are?" The Brit didn't bother hiding his confusion.

"That's right. There are a few things, but they're all...unclear. I can remember what you can, but I know those memories aren't _mine, _but are _yours"_ he held up the cake stand to England. "Would you like one?"

England picked one of the cakes hesitantly. "So...do you have a name?" he asked, taking a bite out of the fairy cake.

"I have been thinking about that..." the other England replied thoughtfully. "But when I do, the only other name I can think of, besides yours, is...Arthur"

"Wha-?" England choked on his cake, spluttering slightly. "So...So you're-"

* * *

"_Your Majesty!_" England groaned, realising he was being shaken awake. He opened his eyes sluggishly, to find himself looking up at familiar Dutch man.

Lars visibly relaxed as England blinked up at him. "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine..." The British nation tried to think back. He had been in the library, but something had been thrown at his head. He looked to his side suspiciously, finding a large book that had fallen open. He glared at it, letting Lars help him to his feet. "I think a book fell on my head...Um...how long was I unconsious for?"

"I don't know. You were in here for about half an hour. I came in to see if you were okay, and I found you here..." Lars was looking at him worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright? I should really take you to the doctor, or-"

"I told you, I'm fine!" England snapped. The Netherlands, or 'Lars', treating him like that just didn't feel right. They considered each other friends in England's world, but he was never that polite to the Brit.

Lars flinched. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty"

"No, I..." England sighed. He didn't exactly want the Dutch man to be scared of him, or something weird like that. "Hey, Lars?" He picked up the ruined book he had tried to read earlier. "I found this while I was looking through the library. Do you know what happened to it?"

"This book?" Lars looked at the remains in surprise. "Well...It is possible that..."

"Yes?"

"This just a rumor I heard, Your Majesty, but a few weeks ago, His Majesty, King Alfred was supposed to of vandalised a set of books"

England blinked. "Alfred did...?"

"I don't know much about it myself, but he was supposed to of ripped out the pages of certain types of books, and even attempted to burn them. They were all apparently thrown away, though"

"I-I see..." England stared at the book in Lars's hands. Could Alfred of really...? That definitaly didn't sound like some America would do...

He picked up the book that had almost killed him from the floor, deciding that he might as well put it back. Lars had said that it was only a rumor, so there was a chance that Alfred hadn't done it at all.

England glanced at the book he was holding. _A book on illnesses? I don't see why someone would throw that at me..._

The page it had fallen open on was on a few diseases England had never heard of. _An illness that makes you think you're a cat...Really? Something like that really exists? _ _And a disease that strenghtens negative and positive emotions to the point were they become twisted? _He squinted at the page. _This particularly dangerous disease was wiped out when the creature that caused it was sealed away over fifty years ago..._He sighed again before placing the book where he assumed it went on the shelf. _This world is so weird..._

* * *

_Yeah...There's a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter XD Although, I don't know if it was obvious or not...To the point where I wonder if it can really be called foreshadowing...Anyway, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	5. Chapter 5

_New chapter~ XD_

* * *

"Your Majesty, I think it would be a good idea if I took you back to your room" Lars said suddenly.

"What?" England turned away from the book shelf in surprise. "Why...?"

"You were just in an accident. I would recomend that we get someone to check your head to make sure you're okay. I heard that the His Lordship is experienced in medicine, so he might be best. And, you never know..." Lars lowered his voice slightly. "That 'accident' could of been a failed attempt at your life"

England tried very hard to stop himself from laughing. Somehow, he managed to keep his expression neutral. "You think...that someone tried to assasinate me with a book?" he asked slowly.

"You never know. The war may of ended a few years ago, but our relationship with the Kingdom of Clubs is still very strained" Lars explained. "They may not of been sent by the King and Queen of Clubs themselves, but some who still hate the Kingdom of Spades could still try to attack you or His Majesty or even His Lordship"

"I'm guessing you mean Yao when you say 'His Lordship'" England shook his head when he realised he had gone off subject. "Look, just beacuse a book fell on my head doesn't mean someone's trying to kill me" he reasured.

"But-"

"And anyway," England cut in, "I...um...still feel a little faint" he said unconvincingly. He did nothing at first, but then seemed to realise that Lars was looking at him skeptically. England sat down next to one of the book cases, a hand on his head. "It's...probably a concussion..." he said, trying his best to act like he was only on the edge of consciousness.

To his delight, it seemed to work. "Your Majesty!" Lars said urgently.

"I'll be fine..." England said weakly, hiding a faint smirk as best as he could. "But...You said that Yao was good with medicine right? Do you think you could get him? I'll just stay here and rest..."

Lars nodded. "I understand, Your Majesty. I'll be back as soon as possible" he turned, practically running out of the library.

_...That should give me a few minutes to make my escape. _England chuckled to himself quietly. _My acting must of been great, Lars looked so worried..._ To protect his pride, he ignored the fact that he had pretty much swooned onto the floor.

He got up, looking around carefully. He didn't have long, but how was he going to escape in such a short amount of time?

_Aren't castles supposed to have secret passages or something? _England asked himself. At the thought of a secret passage, he found himself automatically walking to a rather dusty book shelf in the corner. He grabbed one of the books on the bottom.

England stepped back in alarm as the book case moved away suddenly, revealing a dark tunnel.

"I...I was joking about the secret passage..." was all he could say.

He sighed, stepping into the tunnel cautiously, jumping when the book case slided back in pass behind him. _Don't panic_. He told himself. _This tunnel has to lead _somewhere. _And it'd be too obvious if it just stayed open..._

He felt around for the wall, leaning on it when he finally found it. England realised he was breathing in and out way too quickly and that his heart was pounding. Why was he reacting to like that? There was nothing scary about it at all! It was just an ordinary tunnel. Just a...

* * *

_He was crying, his breath coming out in quiet sobs. _

_"Let me out!" he shouted, hitting the wall as hard as he could. "T-they're still out there! You have too-!"_

_Someone pulled him back, placing a hand over the child's mouth to stifle the cries. "Please, Your Highness. You have to stay quiet, aru" Yao whispered, his voice shaking slightly._

_"Arthur" another voice called softly. He turned slightly in Yao's arms, meeting the gaze of the one who had called him. The child was around the same age as him, a friend, but he was too desperate to fully remember who it was. _

_Another child, one with long blonde hair, was crying as well. Well, he would be, wouldn't he? He his father was out there too. _

_"T-they'll be okay...right, Yao?" the asian child asked, the one who had called Arthur before. Somehow, he managed to keep the sob out of his voice._

_Yao didn't answer, looking away from the three children who were looking up at him with tear streaked faces. Instead he picked up another child in a gentle hug, one a lot younger then the ot__her two. This one was sleeping, blissfully unaware of what was happening outside the tunnel._

* * *

England blinked wildly. What the _hell _was that? It had seemed like the same tunnel he was in now...But...the person in that vision was too young to be him...he had seemed about four or five.

And...one of the other children had called him _Arthur..._

He shook his head. He had to figure out how to escape from the castle first. He could think about the confusing stuff afterwards.

He walked down the tunnel blindly, using the wall as something to hold on to. What if it never ended and he was trapped there forever? No. He couldn't think so negatively. He actually see a small light at the end, so it obviously wasn't endless.

There was a splashing noise. Water? Walking deeper inside, he soon found himself going down a gentle slope, ankle deep in water. _I wonder where all of this tunnels supposed to lead...the water's falling out of the opening at the end..._

The British nation squeezed his eyes shut as he was met with sunlight that was almost blinding after being in the tunnel for what seemed like a long time.

The water flowed past his feet, down into what could of been a small lake or pond below. England looked down uneasily. How was he supposed to get down onto the ground. He couldn't just jump into the lake...And it wasn't because he couldn't swim! Whatever gave you that idea? It was just that it was a too large a drop for the Brit's liking. And he didn't want to get his clothes wet. That could draw attention to himself.

_"Try climbing down the ivy"_

England jerked slightly, holding onto the walls tightly to stop himself from falling. Where...? Wait...he had heard a similar voice the day before as well...It...sounded _really _familiar...

He peered outside the opening he was standing is, glancing at the outside castle walls. Ivy covered them, leaving only a few stone patches visible.

He looked at it skeptically. Would the ivy really be able to suppost him until he managed to get to the ground? He'd rather take his chances with the lake. He sighed, bending his knees and sending out a silent prayer that the water wasn't really that deep as he got ready to jump.

"I, like, wouldn't do that if I was you" for the second time, England nearly lost his grip on the wall. He looked down suspiciously, trying to find the one who had just spoken.

Hong Kong, or at least the Hong Kong from that universe, looked up at him with the same dead panned expression he always wore.

"What do you mean?" England decided to ask. "And anyway, how else would I get down?"

The boy below him pointed down at the lake. "That's, like, connected to the castle. The water from it gets sucked down and then out again into a fountain inside, which also sends water to the rest of the castle. It wouldn't matter if you were just swimming from the surface, but if you jump from that height then you'd, like, get sucked in" he shrugged. "It wouldn't kill you, but it wouldn't exactly be nice, and you'd, like, still have to hold your breath for a while"

England held his head in exasperation. "Can you please stop saying 'like' all the time?" he half chided, half begged. "I swear, you almost sound like Poland..."

"Who's Poland?" the Asian boy asked.

"Never mind. How am I supposed to get down?" England asked.

The Hong Kong look alike shrugged again. "Just climb down with the ivy"

England looked at the ivy again. No. He wasn't scared. He wasn't scared of climbing down using the ivy. He was just..._worried_ for his well being. "Are you sure there's not another way?"

"You could, like, jump into the lake and swim out before the current gets you" the Hong Kong look alike said. It was hard to tell if he was trying to be helpful or not.

The Brit looked down helplessly. _Well...God save the Queen, I guess..._ Was his only thought as he finally jumped out of the opening.

The water was cold. He reached his hand toward the surface, trying to push himself up. Okay, out of his entire history, that had probably been one of the _worst _ideas he had ever had. Why had he listened to Hong Kong in the first place? That kid had always liked to play pranks on him. If he drowned then and came back as a ghost, he would definitely haunt that boy for as long as he lived...

A hand grabbed his own, yanking him up. England coughed as he was pulled onto the grass.

"I didn't expect you to, like, actually do it" the asian boy smirked slightly.

England glared at him, still choking slightly.

"I'm Kaoru" the Hong Kong look alike told him suddenly.

"Wha...?"

"That's my name" Kaoru explained. England frowned. Wasn't Kaoru a Japanese name? He'd of expected him to have a Chinese or even an English name... "What about you?" Kaoru asked suddenly. "You were called Arthur before, although from what I've heard, that's, like, not your name anymore"

"Oh, well..." England began awkwardly, "I actually have a few names, but everyone calls me England" He was starting to find Kaoru's casual attitude around him rather refreshing, after everyone else (besides Alfred) had been treating him so formally.

Kaoru nodded thoughtfully. "I don't really get it" he sighed. "I heard teacher saying you were sent to a different world, and then he brought you back. But doesn't that mean that there should, like, be a you from that universe and a you from this universe. You can't be both, right?"

"That's what I thought" England admitted. "I was born in that universe, I know I was, but pretty much everyone here says that I'm from this world..."

"...I wonder where Arthur went, then" Kaoru said distantly. "You two are exactly alike, but you're also, like, kind of different"

"I suppose we would be..." England said. "So, do you, like, know what could of happened to the me from this world?" he winced when he realised the word 'like' had somehow slipped into his sentence. Hell, it was contagious.

"Not really" Kaoru replied. "It was supposed to, like, be a public display, but teacher said he didn't, like, know what would exactly happen and wouldn't let me watch. And no one likes to talk about what happened, so I don't know. All anyone said was the Queens were, like, supposed to be an example"

"An example...?"

"Yep. Sorry, but that's, like, all I know" Kaoru glanced at him. "Hey...If you're, like, planning on running away, you'd better hurry. Teacher, or one of the Aces, or even worse, King Alfred will notice you're gone soon" Kaoru smiled faintly. "The you from this universe used to keep spare clothes nearby. You're like, completely soaked, so you'll need to change"

"Wait...Are you...Are you helping me?" England asked, confused. "...Why?"

Kaoru smiled at him. "'Cause I feel like it"

* * *

_Chapter finish~ XD Looks like Kaoru's gonna help England escape XD Although, he's in an unfamiliar world, so how far would he get...? Anyway, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	6. Chapter 6

_New chapter~ XD _

* * *

"So where does this lead...?" England asked as he stared at the partically covered hole in the wall. Kaoru had given him a set of dry clothes that were thankfully rather plain, and had then lead him to an older part of the wall.

"The forest" Kaoru said coolly. "Keep walking forward and you'll, like, eventually reach a path. Just, like, follow it and soon you'll get to the capital.

England sighed, attempting to crawl through the opening. "What should I do when I get to the capital?" he turned around to ask.

"Just hide" Kaoru shrugged "Everyone'll, like, be looking for you by now. The capital is probably, like, one of the first places they'll look, but it's, like, the closest city. Just hide in a bar or a hotel or even a library for the day and then, like, find a way to get to a different city"

"I see...Well, thank you anyway, Kaoru" England said before turning back to the woods.

"Sorry I can't, like, help anymore, but Teacher would, like, kill me" Kaoru said simply. "Good luck with the escape, England" he said with a faint smile.

England nodded before firmly walking forward, looking for the path Kaoru mentioned.

It was actually pretty easy to find. The faded dirt path almost seemed to split the forest in half. The only problem England had was to decide if he should go right or left. _Damn...I should of asked Kaoru while I could..._

_"Go right. If you go left, you'll just go deeper into the forest until the path fades out"_

England jumped slightly, but didn't yell out at the sound of the voice. It wasn't the first time he had heard it, and he figured that any help he got would be useful in that world.

Even if it was from a voice that only seemed to be in his head.

He went right, like the voice had said, not wondering what it was exactly. It was probably just some fairy trying to help him, anyway.

Speaking of faires, he hadn't actually seen any of his magical friends ever since he was kidnapped to that world. Most of them usually just floated around him, or went to play outside if the weather was good, but none of them were there. Not even Mint Bunny!

He sighed unhappily, beginning to feel lonely. Did anyone in his world miss him? Although it always took him a while to make friends, England actually had a good relationship with a lot of different nations. And then there was America...England felt himself blush but ignored it. That idiot loved to call himself a hero just as much as Korea loved to claim he was the origin of...well, everything. But the one time England actually wanted someone to help him and the damn yank was no where to be seen.

And the America from that universe didn't count. He shivered slightly as he thought about Alfred. There was something...unnerving about that America. And it wasn't the fact that he had hugged the Brit without England even giving him ice-cream. That dark, icy undertone...It just wasn't natural in the American's eyes. Even so, Alfred had seemed extremely happy to see 'Arthur' again.

England tried to fight back the pang of guilt. He didn't know what had happened to this universe's version of himself, but Alfred obviously cared about Arthur a lot. He wasn't Arthur, Alfred must of realised that, even if it was just in the back of his mind. And yet Alfred had still seemed happy to see him.

And here he was, running away again...Wait, again? This was his first, and hopefully last, attempt at escaping. Where had the again come from?

He shook away the confusing thoughts. England had to focus on leaving, or else he might get caught. He had come to far (even thought he had barely made any progress at all...) to get captured there.

And anyway, he had escaped from tricker situations before (not counting that time in Italy in WW2...England was still recovering some of his pride from that little episode...) so of course he'd be able to escape easily! He was the United Kingdom after all! He could do anything if he put his mind to it, he didn't need a certain American to rescue him!

...Even though he was kind of hoping that that same certain American really would somehow try to rescue him...Didn't he saw, literally just a few minutes before Yao took him to this crazy world, that he would save England if he was kidnapped too? Like Liechtenstein and Japan...

Wait.

Liechtenstein and Japan.

They had apparently disappeared...So...was it possible that they were in this world too? England couldn't help but feel hopeful. There was a slim chance that he wasn't the only one being held against his will in a strange world. Although...would they be handling it better or worse then him? He thought he had taken the whole situation pretty well after some initial yelling and attempting to throw a flower vase at Yao.

He sighed again. Althought there was a part of him that didn't want him to be alone in that situation, there was also a part of him that didn't want to involve anyone else. Especially not Amer-

For fu-! He _had _to stop thinking like that! Not only would it never ever happen, it was just...just...it was just silly! And...America would never feel the same way...

"Kesesese~ Looks like you need some help!" England spun around, looking for where the new voice could of come from. After finding no one, he looked up.

"What the...?" England was left almost speechless as he stared up at that world's equivalent of Prussia. Who was floating, had what were either fluffy horns or an extra set of furry ears, a _tail, _was wearing some kind of devil jacket...

And did I mention he was floating?

"Hey there!" the Prussia look alike said cheerily. "This kingdom's in Peter's area, which means it's usually not in my jurisdiction, but since we're in a bit of a crisis right now, we decided to work together!" he smirked down at the puzzled Brit "and since you obviously need assistance, the awesome me'll help you!"

"What the hell...?" England only managed to add an extra word to his previous sentence.

The Prussian hovered down to his feet, so that England didn't need to crane his neck to look up at him anymore. (Although, England suspected that Prussia enjoyed having people stare up at him...) "I'm guessing you're a little confused about everything" he guessed correctly, "well, sorry, but due to the fact that the fabric of the world would, I don't know, explode if I told you about everything, I'm not allowed"

England regarded him carefully before speaking "...You just made that up didn't you?"

"Well...okay, maybe the world wouldn't explode..." the Prussia look alike admitted sheepishly "but I'm really not allowed to tell you" He grinned again, "I'm Gilbert, by the way"

"Okay, Gilbert..." England began "...What c_an _you tell me?"

Gilbert shrugged "Depends on what the question is"

"Well..." England said uncertainly "Am I England or Arthur?" he eventually finished.

"Huh...? I guess..." Gilbert peered at England closer, causing the Brit to step back warily "...You're kind of both, but right now you're more England then Arthur..."

"How the _hell _can I be both?" England snapped angrily.

Gilbert jumped back at the sudden outburst, but grinned anyway "Not allowed to tell~" he sang "But don't worry, either someone will tell you first or you'll just remember. Either way, you'll find out eventually"

England scowled at him but resisted the urge to attack the annoying Prussian. "Okay...What are _you?"_

"Me?" Gilbert's grin never left his face "I'm a Joker"

"A...Joker?" England repeated "What does a...'Joker' do, exactly?"

"We watch over the Kingdoms" Gilbert explained. "We're kind of have powers too...We also age a lot slower. We follow direct rules from the Council, and make sure things don't go too crazy in the kingdoms we watch. I usually watch the Hearts and Diamonds, and Peter usually watches the Spades and Clubs, but like I said before, we're in a bit of a crisis right now so we decided to work together"

"I...guess that makes sense..." England lied "...What's the Council?"

"They're pretty much the ones in charge" Gilbert said simply. "They don't decide on the rules or what goes on in a kingdom, but they can decide if a King, Queen or Jack gets fired, and even who becomes the new one. Although, that's usually decided by another thing, so they don't usually do that...Long story short, even the King has to listen to the Council"

"...I see..." England shuddered. Again, he felt unnerved, but this time at the mention of the Council...but why?

"So, you're heading to the capital, right?" Gilbert smiled.

England nodded "That's right..."

"Well, just saying, but you walked off the path about five minutes ago"

"Wha-?" England turned around in surprise, finding that the Prussian was right. He was no longer on the path, in fact, it was no where in sight.

"...Hell..."

"Don't worry" Gilbert placed a hand on England's shoulder "Since I'm so awesome, I'll help you out. But I'm not going to help again, just so you know. ...Not unless I get bored" he added the last part with a laugh.

"You're going to help...? How...?"

"Simple, I'm gonna give you a little short cut to the capital" Prussia was grinning madly now. England felt a wave of lightheadedness as he was enveloped in a bright light...

* * *

_To many bright light scenes XD I didn't intend to include Prussia at first, but he somehow slipped in...How weird...Anyway, please review and tell me what you think ^_^ ...Please? :3_


	7. Chapter 7

_Update yay XD_

* * *

"Where...?" England blinked, turning around to look at his new surroundings after the light had faded.

"I told you, I was giving you a short cut to the capital!" Gilbert was standing beside him, still grinning happily "So where do you think we are?"

England sighed looking around one last time. Gilbert had landed them in some kind of dark alley between two houses. Peering out, England could see a road, with people who were all dressed in different shades of blue and grey walking down it. He could see different shops and houses, one greatly resembling a bakery. Almost every building was proudly showing a flag with the spade symbol sewn on.

_It's obviously not a very industrialised world. _England thought. _I don't think they'd have horse drawn carriages otherwise..._

"Wait, if you can take me here, why can't you send me back home?" England asked, turning back to Gilbert.

"Oh, I can" Gilbert said casually "But I don't want to"

He then had to quickly jump away to stop himself from getting punched by a certain Britiah nation.

"And" England asked coolly "Why the hell not?"

"Calm down, calm down!" Gilbert yelled, holding up his hands in defence. "Look, we need help here, okay? I'm not allowed to say what we need help _with_, but we really do need help! If you fix what's going on here then me and Peter'll gladly send you and the other queens back, but right now you need to figure out what's going on for yourself!"

England blinked. "_Other _queens? What are you talking about?"

"If I say any more then I'll get in serious trouble" Gilbert explained. "Look, the guys from the castle have probably noticed you're gone by now. If you don't want them to find you then I'd recommend you try and lie low and attempt to escape to a different kingdom. Arthur was never a very public figure, so not many civilians should recognise you, but you should still try not to go anywhere _too _crowded, just in case"

"I...I understand" England nodded. "Um...Thanks, I guess..."

"No problem. It was kind of fun! I've been really bored lately, since my brother and everyone else I usually hang out with have either been too busy or serious lately...But hopefully after this things will start to go more normal" Gilbert grinned again as he jumped into the air, now floating above England.

"So, what? You're just leaving now?"

"Sorry, but I have to! Oh, and if you are planning to run to another kingdom, then stay away from the Clubs! Things are still kind of bad between the Spades and Clubs, so if you end up there you'd either be captured or killed on the spot" Gilbert shrugged. "I guess it depends on what kind of mood they're in...Anyway, good luck, and I'll probably see you later!"

There was a flash, causing England to immediately cover his eyes. Even before it cleared England knew the Prussian was gone.

_Okay...I just need to leave this country without getting caught..._England told himself. _That shouldn't be too hard...It's still pretty early in the morning, so not many people are out...But while I'm hiding here, hey, random voice I've been hearing in my head. Do you have anything to say?_

_"No, not really..."_

England bit back a small shriek. "_Holy- _I...I wasn't expecting you to answer!"

_"Then why did you ask?"_

"It...It was supposed to be a- ...Forget it" England sighed. "Are you sure you really don't know what I should do?"

_"I told you in that garden you were dreaming about. I have your memories, which means I know what you know, and since you don't know what to do then that means I don't either!"_

"But you knew other things!" England shouted a little louder then necessary "You told me to climb down the ivy earlier, and in that dream you said-!" He paused, actually thinking back to the dream. "Wait...that dream...You're Arthur?"

There was no reply. England groaned when he realised 'Arthur' had gone silent. _Fine...I...I don't need him!_ _I'll escape this place on my own!_

That's what England told himself, at least. However, about thirty minutes later, even he had to admit he was lost. He had dodged away whenever he had seen someone, acting as nonchalant as possible when there were no obvious hiding places.

England wasn't sure why he was so worried. He was one of the best spies in the world, and could easily hide in any environment! Well, sure there had been a _few _mistakes in the past, but he was generally the best at what he did!

...Although, it was one thing trying to escape a foreign country, leaving another _world _was a completely different problem. What was he supposed to do, exactly? Gilbert had told England that they needed his help, but _with what?_ Not only had he been kidnapped by an alternative China, he was now supposed to escape the kingdom and somehow save that world.

But _how?_

Damn...He had such a headache...

* * *

_Sorry for the shortness, but I've been having a mild case of writers block with this story...^^' Again, sorry...T-T Um, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	8. Chapter 8

_Update XD _

* * *

_Okay, should I risk getting caught and ask for directions?_ England asked himself. There was a limit to how long someone could wander around a foreign city before they had to admit they were lost.

Especially if they had been lost in that city for more then an hour...

No one had noticed him yet, but England did see that there had been an increase of urgent looking guards, a few he recognised from the castle.

It was only a matter of time until he was caught. He had to get away quickly.

England's current hiding place was another alley. He had ducked in there when he saw a few guards heading his way. Fortunately, they had walked past him, but it'd probably be a while before he felt confident enough to move again...

"Hey, did you hear?" Two men were talking together in hushed tones, only a little bit away from England. He stared at them curiously, before trying to move a little bit closer to hear what they were talking about.

"You mean about the Queens?"

"That's right. Do you really think they're back?"

"I don't know...I guess only the Council and the monarchs only know what really happened...Really though, I know that it was supposed to be some kind of example to restore diplomatic relations between all four kingdoms and end the war once and for all, but I think it actually made things worse between the Spades and the Clubs. Sure, we're not attacking each other anymore, but..."

"Well...I heard Queen Arthur and Queen Elizabeta didn't really hate each other that much, so if they're really back, maybe they'd be able to stop their kings from arguing with each other all the time"

The two men started laughing, moving away where England couldn't hear them. But it didn't matter, England was too lost in his one thoughts. Lars had mentioned something about a war earlier...But what did they mean by an 'example'? Kaoru had said something about it too...

"Um, excuse me?" a new voice asked, causing England to jump back slightly in surprise. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine" England turned, facing a girl who looked suspiciously like Taiwan. Oddly, the dress she was wearing was a deep pink colour, which stood out greatly compared to everyone else who was dressed in blue.

"Well, okay, it's just that you've been hiding there for a while..." the Taiwan look alike smiled, moving next to England in the alley "My name's Mei. What's yours?"

"England..." England sighed. "I guess I do need help with something...You wouldn't happen to know that fastest way out of this city would you?"

Mei shook her head. "Sorry, I'm just visiting a friend here, so I don't know the city very well. I'm actually from the Kingdom of Hearts"

"I guess that explains why you're not wearing blue...Do you have to wear the colour of your kingdom at all times then?"

"You don't _have _to" Mei shook her head again "I guess it's just the colour everyone prefers...You might look a bit weird if you wore a different colour but it's not against the law...Although, I think quite a lot of people would be offended if a Spade wore green and a Club wore blue..."

"I see..." _Damn...I like the colour green..._

"So...Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not" England replied quickly "I'm just...resting"

Mei raised an eyebrow "I...see?"

"Hey...um..." England started uncertainly. He had to find out sooner or later, so he might as well ask... "It's just...do you know something about a war? I heard that at the end of it the Queens were made as an 'example', but..."

"Oh, that?" Mei looked at him confusedly "That's weird...I would of thought everyone had heard of that...it only ended a few years ago!" Mei sighed before continuing. "It first started as a war between Spades and Clubs...The Hearts and Diamonds were mainly neutral at first, but sometimes the two kingdoms that were at war would accidently attack them...That made them retaliate...Eventually it just turned into one big battle where all four kingdoms would attack each other randomly...Lots of people died...Officially, it ended about nine years ago, but bad relations were still very bad between the Clubs and Spades, and they would still attack each other...Finally, the Council said enough was enough and..." Mei smiled sadly "But they said that just saying 'sorry' wouldn't be good enough, not after all of those lost lives because of the years of fighting...So they said that there had to be an 'example' to make sure it never happened again..."

"And...The Queens were this 'example'?"

"That's right. No one's sure what really happened to them, not even the ones who watched. I once heard something about another world, but..." Mei's eyes widened suddenly, staring at something in the open. "Oh, um...We should..." She turned to England, trying to push him further into the alley. "You need to hide..."

England tried to look behind her, to see what was making her so worried. "What are you-...? Oh. _Oh_" That was when he saw Yao, standing in the road with two guards at his side. Occasionally he would stop someone and ask them something, but they would always shake their heads as a response.

The British nation allowed Mei to push him away, hopefully out of the Chinese man's line of vision. "So he's looking for you...This isn't good" Mei said anxiously.

"Y-yeah...Wait..." England blinked, a new thought occuring to him. "How did you know I'm hiding from him...?"

"Oh, um..." Mei smiled sheepishly. "Well...Teacher, er, Jack Yao, used to run lectures, mainly about history and stuff...Me and one fo my friends would go to them, and we'd see you and King Alfred there a lot...Although, I guess you're not 'you', are you? You said yourself, your name's England, not Arthur..."

"...You knew I was hiding from them the entire time...?"

"Yep"

"...Well, you should know that I'm really not Arthur" England tried to explain "This might sound crazy, but I'm actually from an alternative universe...Although, to me, _this _is the alternative universe..."

"That does sound crazy, but it explains why you look exactly like him..." Mei glanced up at him curiously "So...what am I like in your world?"

"'What are you like'...? Well...Your name's Taiwan, and your personality is pretty much the same..."

"Hmm..."

"That's enough, aru!" Both England and Mei jolted in shock before turning, facing the man behind them. Yao stood there, eyes narrowed. "I can't believe this, aru! Do you think this is some kind of game?"

"But teacher!" Mei spoke up defensively "You must know that he's-"

Yao turned to her, almost sadly "That's enough from you too, aru. Honestly, you were one of my best students, aru! You know that his Majesty belongs back at the castle, aru"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not your Queen!" England yelled. "Why do you think I ran away?"

"Your Majesty, we've been over this, aru!" Yao argued. "Now, we've got a very tight schedule, we don't have time for this, aru!" England felt someone walk up behind him. He glanced back, and felt his heart sink when he saw the two armed guards that had been with Yao earlier. He was trapped. "Now, come with me, aru"

* * *

_*Dramatic music* I feel I was kind of lazy towards the end...I have no idea why I added Taiwan...I blame the fact that I was listening to her character song before I started this XD Anyway, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	9. Chapter 9

After being partially forced into a horse drawn carriage, England had to sit down, opposite an obviously furious Yao. He may not have said so, but it was clear by the way his narrowed eyes locked on the British nation, his mouth firmly set in a straight line and his arms crossed around his chest.

England looked away. He felt like a child being scolded by a mother or a teacher, possibly both at the same time. It was an odd feeling.

Instead, he directed his attention to the carriage around him. The seats were velvet, a deep navy colour, and thankfully very soft since the carriage would occasionally hit a rock or a dent in the road, causing its occupants to lurch forward. England was pretty sure that the outside had been a royal blue, although he hadn't been paying attention at the time since he had been too busy struggling against his 'kidnappers'. He could faintly recall that a spade emblem, a darker blue than the rest of the carriage, had been engraved on the door. There seemed to be an extra section behind Yao, only visible through a small window. Its inhabitants appeared to be the guards who had stuffed England inside, tensed and ready for action in case the two nobles in the main part were attacked.

The scenery passed by slowly. They had left the capital a little while ago, and were now traveling through the forest England had tried to escape through earlier. The grey stone built castle loomed closer and closer.

England bit his lip, a little anxiously. The way the carriage would shake, especially now that they were on the forest path, made it practically impossible to relax. There was no way for him to escape, not without the guards and Yao catching him immediately. He was going to have to face Alfred again…Something about that though only added to his worry. There was just something _not right _about the alternative American.

_Calm down. _England told himself, trying to slow his suddenly rapid heartbeat. _He might be a different one, but he's still technically America. It's not like he's going to hurt you. Also, he thinks you're Arthur, and it looks like he cares about him a lot…_

"_Ah,_" the voice from before spoke. "_But as you've pointed out more than once, you're _not _Arthur_"

England scowled. _Not helping! _He mentally yelled.

"_I'm just saying….Oh," _England heard what could only be described as an extremely slow clapping. He briefly wondered how that was possible, since a voice in his head shouldn't have hands. "_And great job on the escape. I'm _sure _you'll be going home in no time!_" The voice was laced with sarcasm. England was pretty sure that if he could see the speaker they would have rolled their eyes.

_Shut up, 'Arthur'! If you don't have anything useful to say, then don't say anything at all! _England smirked as the voice fell silent, possibly sulking in some unknown corner of England's mind. It barely ever said anything useful anyway.

He looked up, still smiling, only to flinch as he came face to face with Yao. The Asian hadn't moved from his crossed arm position, not even when the carriage swayed from side to side, and was still glaring intently.

"So?" England asked, drawing his attention back to the world outside the window. He rested his chin in one hand. "How long do you plan on staring at me like that?"

Yao didn't reply, but exhaled deeply. He looked away from the British nation for the first time since they had entered the carriage.

A pair of gates in front opened, allowing the carriage to enter into the courtyard of the castle. England felt his heart slowly sink. His chances of escaping were getting smaller and smaller by the second.

The carriage stopped. England tensed as the guards in the other section climbed out, walking round and opening their door. Yao glanced at England pointedly before descending out of the wheeled vehicle. All eyes settled on the British nation expectantly.

He sighed. _If I'm going to be held captive in another word, _England thought, _I might as well do it with dignity. _England reluctantly detached himself from his seat, moving out of the carriage. He noticed the guards stir, obviously changing their position so that their 'queen' didn't make an attempt at running.

Yao turned away from England. "Follow me, aru" It wasn't a request. England clearly had no choice in the matter. Especially since two of the guards had grabbed his arms as gently as possible, leading him forward. He decided there was no point in struggling against them.

England was taken through a huge set of already open oak double doors. He tried but failed to stifle a gasp that formed at the sight of the inside. The main hallway was huge, the tiled floor polished to the point where it could have been considered a mirror. Marble pillars at the side of the room held up the high ceiling, large arches framing different sets of wooden doors. Formally dressed servants darted between these, bowing or nodding respectfully whenever they saw Yao and England. Light was spilling down from a pair of window faintly tinted a pale blue. These were placed behind an inside balcony which could be reached by a set of stairs. Some kind of waterfall was underneath, leading into a white marble pool. England couldn't help but note that the opening the water was tumbling from seemed a little unnaturally….big.

Next to the stairway was a small, grey door. England was pushed inside; right after Yao had unlocked it and entered. The door swung shut behind them, trapping England with the smaller Asian man.

For the first few seconds, there was only silence. England shuffled his feet awkwardly as Yao drew his attention back to England. He looked away, staring at the plain grey walls. Where were they, anyway? The room was dull enough to be what most people considered a prison. The only light was coming from a small window near the ceiling. Was Yao so angry with his escape attempt that he had decided to lock England away?

More silence. It was practically suffocating.

"So," Yao started suddenly, "as you've probably noticed, I'm not very happy, aru"

_Understatement._ England thought with a small eye roll.

"But it's understandable. I was woken up this morning by one of the guards saying that you had an accident in the library, aru! But when we got there, you were gone, aru!" Yao's eyes narrowed again. "What were you thinking?"

"I was _thinking _that you've made a mistake" England snapped, meeting Yao's gaze this time. "I've told you over and over, I'm not your queen! I'm not even from this bloody world! And you should know that, you kidnapped me personally!" He lowered his voice the next time he spoke. "Do you _really _expect me to believe you? When you literally grabbed me and told me out of nowhere that I'm supposed to be the Queen of Spades? It doesn't make any damn sense! I was born in the world you took me from, and lived there for more than one thousand years! I want you to give me one good reason why I should believe all of this!" England spread his arms out as he finished this sentence, gesturing to the room around them.

Yao sighed, stepping back. "So you want a reason, aru?" He moved to the back of the room, moving to a small opening in the corner that England hadn't noticed before. Yao kneeled down, pulling out a small wooden chest from the opening. "I suppose you don't know what's in here, do you, aru?" Yao looked up briefly, noticing the slight shake of the head that he had been expecting. From around his neck, he grabbed a small chain with a tiny silver key attached. He placed it inside the keyhole on the chest, lifting it open.

England peered closer, wondering what Yao was retrieving. He tried to look as uninterested as possible when the smaller man looked up again, object in hand.

It was a clock. A rather large and old one at that. Yao travelled from his side of the room, holding the clock for England to see. On closer inspection, it actually looked like the rim was made of gold.

Yao was obviously expecting some kind of reaction. He moved it a little closer, trying to gain a response. "It's a clock" England hoped that if he just said the obvious then Yao would tell him what he was supposed to notice.

"That's right, aru. But what else?"

"A broken clock?" That much was true. The clock was lifeless, completely silent.

"Yes" Yao pressed it into England's hands. "But what about now, aru?"

England looked down at it confusedly. To his surprise, the hands of the clock immediately started moving, a little stiffly at first from lack of movement. "What the…?"

A satisfied smile formed on Yao's lips. "Since you really don't seem to know, I might as well explain, aru. You see, each kingdom has three separate items. These items are usually what chooses are monarchs, aru. In the Kingdom of Spades, our kings and queens are chosen by the two Clocks of Spades"

"…So?"

"_So, _that particular clock you are holding belongs to the Queen of Spades, aru. It only works in the hands of our queen" Yao smirked. "Understand? _Your Majesty?_"

Realisation dawned on the British nation. "B-but…" He stammered. "But I'm not your queen!" England yelled desperately. He glared at the clock. "This doesn't make any sense! I _know _I'm not your queen! This is just some damn trick!" He forced it back into Yao's hands. His scowl only deepened when it immediately stopped ticking in the Asian's careful grasp. "I know who I am! I'm the United -bloody- Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland! I'm not Arthur, and I'm not the Queen of Spades!"

Yao glanced at England coolly. "Are you sure, aru?"

England huffed. Of course he was bloody sure! Who knew him better than himself? He didn't belong in that world. He wasn't Arthur!

…Right?

* * *

_The end to another chapter XD I'm kind of surprised though, why do people like this? I'm sure that if it was anyone else writing this then it'd be 100% better…But I guess as long as people are reading it I should do my best to update XD Please review and tell me what you think ^_^ They fuel my creativity and motivation and sometimes inspire me to update earlier XD_


	10. Chapter 10

England was locked in the small bedroom again, pointedly told by Yao to, "get changed into something more suitable. We have a very busy day today, aru." England would have asked what was wrong with the clothes he was wearing- even if they were rather plain, they were a friendly baby blue colour and comfortable- but he then realised that they were extremely creased and the bottom of the trousers were smeared with mud and pieces of leaves from his little trek in the woods.

A set of royal blue garments were neatly folded on the bed. They seemed flashier and tighter than what England was currently wearing, and it was with great reluctance that he peeled his clothes off and replaced them with the more regal ones.

He examined his appearance in the large mirror in the wardrobe. He immediately decided he hated the clothes. They looked expensive and shiny, but they felt so scratchy…

"_Ugh, I hate this so much!" Alfred was staring into the mirror with a look of disgust, willing his reflection to change and show something less ridiculous. _

_Arthur sighed, crossing his arms, but had to hide a smirk. Alfred looked so uncomfortable, it was almost cute… "It doesn't matter if you hate it," he said, trying to keep a professional front. "You are now the King of Spades, you have to dress properly."_

_The 'King of Spades' pouted. "But, Your Majesty, I-!" Alfred spluttered, trying to retract his mistake when Arthur scowled darkly. "I-I mean, Arthur! S-sorry, Your Ma- _Arthur! _Gah!"_

"_Alfred," Arthur sighed again, more tiredly. It obviously wasn't the first time this had happened. "What have I told you? You can't call me Your Majesty. You're the King. If anything, I should be calling you Your Majesty."_

_The look of disgust was back. "Oh, God, don't. I can barely live with the Jack- Er…Yao calling me that."_

"_Then you must know how I feel about this." Arthur looked away, fiddling with the fabric of his clothing. "Honestly...You had no problem calling me Arthur before…"_

"_That's because I didn't know who you were! You didn't tell me you were royalty." Alfred looked hurt. "After all of that, you didn't tell me," he muttered._

"_Why do you think I didn't tell you? Just look at how you're acting around me now!"_

"_Yeah, but…" Alfred frowned. "…Shut up."_

_Arthur rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "That's more like it." He turned away, moving towards the door. "Hello? We're ready now!" He knocked on the door, trying the handle. _

"_D…" Alfred's eyes widened. "Did they lock us in here?" he squeaked._

"_That right," Arthur said, obviously not bothered by this. "It's a precaution."_

"…_For what?"_

_Arthur smirked at Alfred mischievously. "I'm well known for my escape attempts…"_

England stepped backwards, reeling slightly. Another one of those visions…They fitted inside his head perfectly, filling empty spaces he hadn't known were present. They were obviously memories.

But what did they mean? The memories seemed to belong to the England from this world, or Arthur, as he was called, but why would England have Arthur's memories? It didn't make any sense…

And there was something else. Something about the younger versions of America and himself in that memory that had bothered him. Alfred…had been acting almost exactly the same as America. It wasn't like Alfred had been unfriendly or anything, but…There was just something 'wrong' about him. But what, exactly?

He noticed his clothes from the world meeting, folded tidily and hidden in a corner of the wardrobe. No one had found them, luckily. They were the only thing England had that told him he wasn't crazy, that he really was from the world he had been kidnapped from.

England was snapped out of his melancholy when a sudden strange buzzing sound cut through the silence. England looked around wildly, tensing when it stopped for a few seconds only to start again.

It was his phone. England could have laughed at his own stupidity. His mobile phone was buried in his discarded clothes. He lowered himself to his knees, tentatively searching for his phone. Phones worked in alternative universes, apparently

He accepted the call, placing it next to his ear cautiously. "Hello-?"

"England! Dude, are you alright?" It took everything England had not to drop the phone. How…How was this possible? "Where are you?" America's urgent voice yelled. "I've been trying to contact you for ages! Are you okay?"

"America…" England said slowly. "I…I'm fine. Well, obviously I'm _not _fine, but…This is probably going to be a little hard to believe, but I'm trapped in an alternative universe, and-!"

"England?" America's voice sounded desperate. England tried to speak again, but what America said next quickly killed his words. "Come on, please…Say something!"

England pulled his phone away, staring at it in disbelief. Couldn't America hear him?

"T-this isn't funny!" America said angrily. "D-do you know how worried I- we all are? First Liechtenstein and Japan vanished, and then you…A-and another country's disappeared too! W-what the hell's going on? …Look, just tell me you're alright! Please!"

This was a new form of torture, England decided. He was listening to the frantic voice of the man he had wanted to hear from, (even if he would never admit that), but he couldn't say anything to tell him where he was, or calm the terrified tone in the American nation's voice.

"America…" England chuckled coldly, hearing America's hurried ramblings continue. He murmured something quietly, something important, but only because he knew America wouldn't be able to hear him. Otherwise, he would have never said this. Ever.

He ended the call. He couldn't listen to this anymore.

* * *

_Short chapter, sorry :( I'm lazy… But, it's Christmas tomorrow! YAY XD Merry Christmas, everyone! XD I hope everyone has fun, even if you don't celebrate Christmas :3 Well, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	11. Chapter 11

Yao didn't seem to even be trying to hide his annoyance at the British nation. When he came to collect him from the small bedroom, he raised an eyebrow, a clear look of disdain flashing over his face.

"Thanks to your little escape attempt," Yao started, leading the way down the white and blue tinted hallway, "we were almost late for a very important meeting, aru." He turned to England, his footsteps echoing off the polished floor one last time. "Luckily, His Majesty is still working. We can't leave until he's finished, aru."

England frowned. "Alfred is…working?"

"He's the king. He obviously has a lot of work to do, aru. As do I. You would usually have work to do too, but due to your…lack of memory, and your year absence, His Majesty believes it would be best for you to rest until you remember yourself, aru."

"But…He's _working?_ At this ridiculous time in the morning?"

"His Majesty often wakes up early to complete his work." But Yao was looking away as he said this, almost as if it was an uncomfortably rehearsed line that held no real truth. "As the King of Spades, it's expected of him, aru."

"I suppose I can understand that, but…" England tried to think of the best way to explain what was strange with what he had been told. The universe he was currently occupying was different from the one he came from, which meant that there would be at least _some_ obvious differences, but something felt…wrong. "It just doesn't seem like something Alfred would do."

"Oh? And how would you know, aru?"

"Well…Ever since I was _kidnapped _here, I've been having a few visions. There's a small chance that they're, well, memories." England tried to ignore Yao's look of triumph. "Anyway, Alfred seemed a lot more carefree in my visions."

Yao's shoulders slumped slightly, a sudden crack in his serious and regal appearance, making him appear much older and tired than he had a few mere seconds ago, and he sighed. "It's true that His Majesty's personality has changed since that time, but…" He looked up, surprising England by somehow wiping all traces of melancholy from his face. If he hadn't known any better, England would have thought he had imagined it. "Maybe you should talk to him about it yourself, aru. You would probably find him in the garden. That's where he usually likes to complete his work. I also have some work to finish before we leave, so I will join you with him in just a little while, aru."

England felt a small stab of panic at the thought of seeing Alfred again. Seeing him _alone _just made things worse. But the problem with Alfred, the 'something' that made England so uneasy, was the only thing he couldn't figure out. Nothing good could come from associating himself with the alternative America, he knew that much. And-, _Wait a minute…_ "You're leaving? Aren't you worried that I'll escape again?"

"Of course not, aru. Is it that hard to believe that I trust you, aru?" Before England could answer '_yes', _Yao added, "Incidentally, I have ordered more of the guards to patrol the area, in an attempt to increase security. But this is only for your…protection, aru."

_Of course. _England resisted the urge to roll his eyes, keeping his expression neutral.

"Do you need someone to escort you to the garden, aru?"

"I can find it myself." England didn't want to admit it, but he was beginning to feel like he knew the castle, as if he had wandered down the halls many times before. Which was insane, mainly because he had only arrived at his royal prison the day before. He barely glanced at Yao before turning away, walking towards the direction he somehow knew would lead him to the garden.

Yao stared after him, allowing sadness to invade his features now that he was alone. "This isn't working…" he said to the heavy silence. "But…maybe he'll stop trying to fight it when he gets used to this world, aru? And then maybe His Majesty will start to act like his old self…"

* * *

Even though he had no chance to examine it earlier, England had to admit that the garden was impressive. It was so large that England could not see where it began and ended, and it almost seemed like each individual blade of grass had been trimmed so vigorously that each piece was exactly the same height and width. None were allowed to outgrow each other in any way. The (obviously blue) flowers all had more freedom to grow, but they seemed almost _too _perfect. They might as well have been made of plastic.

(England quickly realised they _weren't _plastic when he leaned down and picked one. It was just an ordinary flower the moment it left its bed. Huh…Maybe it was some kind of magic…)

He briefly contemplated making a run for it, especially since he knew where the ivy guarded hole in the wall Kaoru had shown him was, but then found there was no point. To his dismay, Yao hadn't been bluffing about putting more guards on patrol. Many where moving through the garden, some even quickly scanning him to make sure he wasn't making another escape attempt.

A hedge made maze was ahead, and England felt a sense of deja-vu. It was just like that strange dream he had earlier…With this little revelation, England made his way to the same clearing where he had met 'Arthur.' He wasn't sure where he could find Alfred, anyway. But maybe if he went back there, he would get some much needed answers…Maybe, at least. It was the only trace of a lead England had in that crazy world.

Making the same turns he had in that dream, England easily found the clearing again. And just like his dream, it wasn't empty. Alfred was sitting at the pure white table, silently scanning different documents.

Alfred heard his footsteps and looked up before England could make any attempt to leave. He smiled, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, Arthur!" He stood, quickly closing any distance between them. "I'm glad you're here. How are you feeling?"

"I'm, uh…" England frowned. Alfred was too close for comfort. "I'm fine."

"That's good." Alfred then surprised England by clasping his hands in his own. "I heard you had an accident in the library, so I was worried. Although…" It might have just been England's imagination, but Alfred's voice seemed to have a sudden edge. "I also heard something very strange. You tried to run away, apparently. But of course, that can't be true, right?"

"…Right." England nodded. Upsetting Alfred did not seem like a good idea.

And then Alfred was using one hand to cup England's face. England felt his face flush ever so slightly. Forget about invading, Alfred was currently seizing his personal space's vital regions. "So how's it going with your memory?"

"It's…patchy. Not much makes sense." That wasn't exactly a lie, was it?

"I suppose that's better than nothing." Alfred smiled gently. "But don't try to force yourself, okay? I do want you to remember everything, but it's probably easier for you to just…" he hummed thoughtfully, "…Let it happen, I guess."

A thought occurred to England, and England didn't know if he felt stupid for thinking about it in the first place or not realising it sooner. Alfred and Arthur…Were…Were they in a relationship?

England seriously wished he had never thought that, but it made too much damn sense. They _were _the king and queen…And it also explained why Alfred was acting so affectionate.

…As if England hadn't thought things were awkward enough.

"Arthur?" Alfred's face was now full of worry. "Your face is red. Are you okay? Do you feel sick?"

"N-no, no. I'm fine!" England tried pushing himself away, but Alfred only moved even closer.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should sit down…" Alfred gently held onto England's arm, leading him towards the table. England sighed, sitting down more heavily than he needed to.

There was a white teapot with a dark blue spade emblem placed on the table, and Alfred poured its contained liquid into one of the china cups. From where he sat opposite England, he offered it to the British nation.

"You know," Alfred began, pouring himself a cup. "We used to sit here together a lot, just like we are right now. Usually it was just so that we could be together in private."

England tried not to splutter. Any possibility of his relationship theory being wrong had pretty much just flown out the window.

Alfred sipped his beverage. "I've really missed this," he said, somewhat sadly. "Just being together like this. Even if it was never that exciting, but that wasn't really the point. You might not remember this, but you would always have a book and read, and I would…I…" Alfred's expression darkened, a shadow passing over his face. "I…" He smiled suddenly. "I was probably reading too," he said brightly.

…'_Probably'? _England raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He was still having trouble getting over the fact that in that reality, he and America would be, well, a couple. England was willing to admit he had an _extremely _small crush on the American nation, but that was it. There was a very large gap between being mildly infatuated with someone and being in a relationship with them.

He absentmindedly sipped his drink. He couldn't help but wonder…If he was ever in a relationship with America, would they have peaceful moments like the one he and Alfred were now in? _Okay, mind, shut up. Shut up right now._

"_Please. It's extremely awkward for me to have to listen to this."_

England ignored Arthur's little comment, focusing on the taste of his drink. He frowned. It tasted quite nice, but…It was also familiar. Alfred smiled at him, also sipping his own.

And that was when he realised. The liquid…It was _tea. _And although he was relieved that the strange card-world actually had tea, it also raised a problem. Alfred was drinking the same thing as him. _Alfred _was drinking _tea._

…

…

England stood, roughly forcing his chair back. "Okay, I have had enough of this," he hissed. "I can believe that the kingdoms in this world are names after different suits. I can also understand that because of this, the monarchies here are named after cards. Hell, I can even accept that my mobile phone could somehow accept a phone call from my own world. But there is absolutely _no way _that you are the America from this world." England was leaning forward, using his hands on the table to support himself. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously, solely locked on the mildly surprised American.

Alfred smiled, but it was a condescending smile, and England could feel his rage bubbling. "I suppose I am a little different from what you would remember. But a year _is_ a long time." The edge was in his voice again, and England blinked, faltering slightly.

"You-,"

But Alfred had leaned forward too, too fast for England to react, and kissed him.

England did nothing. He couldn't. His brain had sort of overloaded and died. By the time his mind had started working enough for him to feel some form of outrage, Alfred had pulled away.

"But, Arthur," Alfred was obviously pleased with himself. "I can assure you that I am indeed still Alfred."

England tried to yell some kind of complaint, but an awkward coughing drew both of their attentions to the other end of the clearing. Yao was standing there, eyebrow raised. "I…" he started. "Am I interrupting something, aru?"

* * *

_I…That kiss was not there when I originally planned this chapter o_O It looks like Prussia, Taiwan and USUK all have magical powers with this fic; they keep finding excuses to worm their way into chapters XD _

_Notice how England keeps describing his feelings for America in this fic as 'a small crush'? Oh, England XD And even after that thing on the phone too…_

_So, I started this chapter, but about halfway through it I thought 'hang on, this is rather plain', so I went back and started adding more description-y things…So I hope this is okay XD Anyway, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_

_P.S Who hasn't seen the Hetalia The Beautiful World trailer yet? If you haven't, then watch it. Watch it now. Seriously, they all look so shiny…*0*_


	12. Chapter 12

The chaos that usually made itself known in the meetings was gone, replaced by an uneasy silence. The countries were tense, only half listening when another nation stood up to speak.

America was the only one who was at least a little slumped. He felt…Well, he didn't know how he felt. Sad and annoyed could have been a way to describe his mood, but in his opinion those words were too weak. His emotions felt too dull to call them angry…Maybe worried? That phone call earlier had definitely left him more upset than before…

It was the day after England had disappeared in that strange light. Well, that was what everyone said. But America was sure he had seen someone in the light grab England, dragging him up onto the table before vanishing with him. It had still been a little hard to see, but couldn't help but think that figure had looked a lot like China…But that was stupid. China had been nowhere near England, yelling something about not being able to find his panda, and had stared at America blankly when he questioned him about it.

He glanced around the room. He could see Austria staring into space with a troubled expression. The Austrian nation had breathlessly charged into the meeting room, revealing that another nation had disappeared…The rest of the world, already confused and stunned by one of their own supposedly vanishing right in front of them, fell into panic. The turmoil filled room was only calmed down when Germany yelled at everyone to shut up, peeling off a sobbing Italian. This was pretty much the only normal action that had happened for the entire meeting, but even that lacked its usual sternness, trying to hide an edge of unease.

Eventually, it was decided that everyone was too shaken to carry on with the meeting, and it was stopped to be continued the next day. The subject was a little different though. England's strange disappearance had convinced some of the nations that the missing nations were definitely something to be concerned about, but a few others were still sceptical. In the meeting, a few tried to say that maybe the nations vanishing were just coincidences, maybe they had gone on holiday, and the event with England might have had something to do with his magic. These words didn't do much to console the other countries, though.

His attention turned to Switzerland. The blonde nation had entered the room with obvious murderous intent as he held his gun, but as the meeting continued the fire in his eyes dulled considerably. He was now slowly polishing his weapon, his head lowered in depression. …Hadn't Germany told him he wasn't allowed to bring that thing to the meetings anymore?

Another nation stood up to speak and America's shoulders sagged. This meeting was pointless. The missing nations, England…What if they were in danger _now? _They couldn't just sit here; they had to save them! But no, instead the world thought that it was a good idea to _discuss _what was going on, which was the same as doing nothing in America's opinion.

Not that he would have known where to look. The four missing countries could have been anywhere.

…Also, why were they the only ones who were kidnapped/vanished? Was it completely random, or was there some weird, specific reason it was them?

He wanted to know. He wanted to know who was doing it, and why. …Maybe it was aliens. Nah, Tony would have mentioned something like that earlier. He was good with extra-terrestrial activity stuff like that, for some reason. So, what could it be?

That strange phone call had been no help. England's name had flashed across the screen, but whoever was really on the other end had been silent. America had thought he had heard _something, _but…

Besides that, America only had one clue. Something he found when thoughtlessly wandering to where England had once stood, the rest of the room still stunned by the light. It was, oddly, a small blue spade. It now rested in the palm of his hand, and America fiddled with it absentmindedly. Had the person who grabbed England dropped it?

He had decided that it had to do something, since it seemed kind of pointless to carry around a useless spade accessory, but he quickly found that glaring at it had no effect. It was his only lead so far, but it still told him nothing. Did the kidnapper like cards or something?

"Alright, so maybe…" Someone else started talking, but America immediately tuned him out. He couldn't sit there any longer. His hand closed around the spade.

…He wanted to save him…

No one stopped him. The only form of protest he received were a few strange looks as he left the room.

* * *

_Short chapter :( _

_One reviewer (who I cannot reply to as they were anonymous T-T) said they wanted a chapter from the countries point of view, and that gave me an idea ^0^ So that's where this chapter came from XD But…Well, has anyone else ever had chapters they love to write and are really enthusiastic about, but others that you kind of have to push yourself through? This one was more of the latter…Sorry…_

_Please review and tell me what you think~ ^_^_


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